title: Effects of reinforcer delay and variability in a successive-encounters procedure.
abstract: Pigeons responded in a successive-encounters procedure that consisted of a search period, a choice period, and a handling period. The search period was either a fixed-interval or a mixed-interval schedule presented on the center key of a three-key chamber. Upon completion of the search period, the center key was turned off and the two side keys were lit. A pigeon could either accept a delay followed by food (by pecking the right key) or reject this option and return to the search period (by pecking the left key). During the choice period, a red right key represented the long alternative (a long handling delay followed by food), and a green right key represented the short alternative (a short handling delay followed by food). The experiment consisted of a series of comparisons for which optimal diet theory predicted no changes in preference for the long alternative (because the overall rates of reinforcement were unchanged), whereas the hyperbolic-decay model predicted changes in preference (because the delays to the next possible reinforcer were varied). In all comparisons, the results supported the predictions of the hyperbolic-decay model, which states that the value of a reinforcer is inversely related to the delay between a choice response and reinforcer delivery.
authors.affiliation: Psychology Department, Southern Connecticut State University, New Haven, CT 06515, USA. mazurj1@southernct.edu
authors.forename: James E
authors.initials: JE
authors.lastname: Mazur
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001522:Behavior, Animal; D002755:Choice Behavior; D010856:Columbidae; D008297:Male; D012054:Reinforcement, Psychology; D013997:Time Factors